Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders (MDL) plans to invest around Rs 27,000 crore to establish a greenfield shipbuilding cluster at Dighi Port in Maharashtra’s Raigad district.

The defence public sector undertaking has signed a memorandum of understanding with National Shipbuilding and Heavy Industries Park Maharashtra for the proposed development. The project is expected to generate around 90,000 jobs and expand Maharashtra’s shipbuilding capabilities.

MDL has set a target of achieving an annual shipbuilding capacity of at least two million gross tonnes at Dighi. The facility is expected to enable construction of large commercial vessels and form part of the Centre’s Greenfield Shipbuilding Cluster Development Plan.

The project is intended to strengthen domestic shipbuilding capacity while supporting a wider maritime industrial ecosystem comprising manufacturing, engineering, logistics and ancillary industries.

The investment comes as India seeks to expand its domestic shipbuilding capabilities and reduce dependence on overseas yards for large vessels. The proposed Dighi cluster could therefore create additional demand for specialised infrastructure, heavy engineering, fabrication and marine supply chains in Maharashtra.

MDL signed the agreement in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.